A pintle hitch, generally known as a pintle hook hitch, is a type of hitch utilized by various vehicles for connecting the rear (distal end) portion of a vehicle to a mating, front portion of a trailer or other object to be towed by the vehicle (a “trailer”). A pintle hitch generally includes two portions (e.g., a moveable arm portion and a fixed horn portion) adapted to lock together to interconnect with the mating portion of the trailer. The pintle hitch is generally mounted to the distal end of a vehicle such that at least a portion of the pintle hitch protrudes beyond the distal end of the vehicle.
As will be appreciated, when the pintle hitch is connected to a trailer, the trailer generally restricts other objects from physically interacting with the pintle hitch. Thus, when a trailer is attached to the pintle hitch, there is a relatively low likelihood that the pintle hitch will be inadvertently damaged by impact from another object. However, when the pintle hitch is not connected a trailer, it is possible for the pintle hitch to be damaged, such as by the interconnected vehicle inadvertently backing into an object or by another vehicle running into the pintle hitch.
A pintle hitch is generally fixedly interconnected to the vehicle by bolting or otherwise mounting the pintle hitch to the vehicle. Thus, it may be time consuming and inefficient to remove the pintle hitch during times when it is not in use.
Moreover, pintle hitches are often connected to vehicles that may be utilized for applications other than towing, such as heavy-duty vehicles including dump trucks, tractors as well as mining equipment. These heavy-duty vehicles are capable of pushing various objects as well as being pushed by other vehicles. In order to avoid damaging the interconnected pintle hitch, such vehicles are generally unable to push objects or be pushed using the end at which the pintle hitch is interconnected.